Man killed by falling sign ‘was on dream holiday’

London Evening Standard/London

The man crushed by a falling betting shop sign was a New Zealand lawyer visiting London with his girlfriend, the Standard yesterday revealed.

Jacob Marx, 27, was killed when the 30-foot metal hoarding collapsed on top of him as he walked along a busy street in Camden on Monday afternoon.

Six people rushed to help lift off the William Hill sign so paramedics could attempt to resuscitate Marx on the pavement. He was taken to hospital by ambulance but died after suffering a heart attack.

Marx arrived in London last September with his girlfriend Natalie Chung as part of a round-the-world “trip of a lifetime”.

Chung’s brother Tim said his sister was trying to come to terms with the tragedy and was being comforted by friends.

He said: “She seems to be coping all right. He was a really, really nice guy and was really smart.”

Marx’s family are understood to be on their way to the UK from their home town of Gisborne.

The University of Auckland graduate had been working for international law firm Minter Ellison Rudd Watts in New Zealand before transferring to its Sydney offices, practising in its insurance and corporate disputes division.

Friends said Marx and his girlfriend were working in London as they planned the next stop of their trip.

Richard Blackburn, people and performance director at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, said everyone was in shock over what had happened. He told the Standard: “Jacob was a bright young lawyer who worked hard, produced excellent quality work and made lots of friends at our firm. Jacob left on good terms in 2010 to transfer to our Sydney office, he kept in touch, and we expected to see him again. His friends and former colleagues are in shock and still coming to terms with the news.”